Porto celebrates National Day of Historic Centres with more than 80 activities

The National Day of Historic Centres is officially celebrated on 28 March. In Porto, the celebration is anticipated to the previous weekend, 23 and 24 March, and you are invited to discover the city's historic centre through guided tours, exhibitions, workshops, music, theatre, dance and various workshops.

The programme, with more than 80 activities, includes initiatives for all audiences, including children and families. Museums, monuments, churches and other institutions will open their doors to the public and visitors, with initiatives organised by 33 entities, under the coordination of Porto City Council's Municipal Department of Culture and Heritage and in collaboration with the municipal company Ágora.

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, the historic centre of Porto is once again celebrating the date with a wide range of cultural and recreational activities. Most of the activities are free but require prior registration.

Visits invite you to discover the city's emblematic spaces

There are several guided tours planned, for example to the interior of the Clérigos Tower and Museum, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and repeated between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. This activity requires prior registration.

'Uma Aventura em Família' (A family adventure) to the São José das Taipas church invites you to embark on a visit where culture and adventure merge in a multigenerational experience, suitable for all ages. It takes place on Saturday 23rd from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and requires prior registration, via email to igrejadastaipas@gmail.com. It costs a symbolic one euro to help restore the building's balustrade.

'O Porto na 2.ª metade do século XIX: as Casas Fotográficas' (Porto in the 2nd half of the 19th century: the Photographic Houses) is another of the proposals included in the programme, in the outdoor guided tours category. Participants will be taken on a short tour of the area around the Centro Português de Fotografia (Largo Amor de Perdição), where several photographic houses once stood. Beforehand, there will be a talk and a visit to the exhibition 'Casas Fotográficas do Porto no séc. XIX', with authors Maria do Carmo Serén and Augusto Lemos. It takes place on Sunday 24th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission and participation are free (until the venue is full).

For a more exploratory profile, the National Day of Historic Centres programme offers free visits. Among the spaces opening their doors, mention should be made to Quartel do Carmo, headquarters of GNR's Porto Territorial Command, open on both days from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Hospital Pharmacy of the Museum of the Hospital Centre of Porto will also be open over the weekend of 23 and 24 March, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., reopening from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. You are invited to discover countless objects that refer to 19th-century therapeutic trends, with a unique heritage and scientific legacy.

Museum and Libraries with workshop and 'Objetos e seus Discursos' (Objects and their Discourses)

Organised by the Museum and Libraries, there's a workshop - ‘À descoberta das rotas comerciais do Porto’ (Discovering Porto's trade routes) - on the 23rd at 10.30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Arqueossítio, located at Rua D. Hugo, 5. Artefacts from far-flung places and various historical periods have been discovered here. In this workshop, participants will learn how these objects were produced, exchanged and used through a series of leisure activities: modelling, painting and board games. At the end, each participant will take away different stories to tell and a unique artefact of their own making. Aimed at the general public, especially children aged five and over (the space does not allow access for people with reduced mobility), entry is free, subject to mandatory registration at arqueologia@cm-porto.pt.

‘Um Objeto e Seus Discursos’ also returns on the weekend (23rd), with an analysis of the 'Pergaminho das despesas do batizado do Infante D. Henrique' (Scroll of expenses for the baptism of Prince Henry the Navigator). On Saturday, at 6 p.m. at Casa do Infante, a very unique document from Porto's Municipal Historical Archive will be presented. This is the oldest known written account of Prince Henry the Navigator's life. A manuscript on parchment, written in Gothic cursive, records the expenses incurred by the Municipality of Porto in celebrating the Prince's baptism in 1394, just four days after his birth. Participation in this initiative is free, subject to mandatory registration via form.

Music and multimedia shows

Every party has music, and the Historic Centre is no exception. Several concerts are planned that promise to be the soundtrack to a weekend dedicated to culture and history.

The Porto Historic Centre Choir takes to the stage on Saturday 23rd at 5 p.m. at the Palácio das Artes. There are 40 singers aged between 27 and 97. On Sunday, the São José das Taipas church will host a concert by the String Quartet of the National Republican Guard Chamber Orchestra from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Admission is free until the venue is full.

The Clérigos Church presents the multimedia show Spiritus, from 9:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on both days. Admission is also free.

Roving proposals, performances and concerts

On 23 March, at 3 p.m. in Rua das Flores, and on Sunday 24 March, at 10 a.m. (Largo do Amor de Perdição) and 3 p.m. (Praça da Batalha), a historical portrait painter will try to surprise passers-by. Mr. P (that's the name of the 18th-century court painter) is on hand to portray the figures who pass by and dare to embark on this colourful adventure.

Also on Saturday 23rd, Terreiro da Sé will host a concert by the National Republican Guard Symphonic Band. Conducted by Maestro Alferes Hélder Gonçalves, this concert will evoke national and international classics, with special emphasis on the 'Porto Sentido' music, arranged by Silva Martins.

On the 24th, on the same improvised stage in Porto's Terreiro da Sé, the performance 'O Berço' will be presented featuring 24 performers from Oficina Zero's intensive programme, in a creation by A PiSCina. The show focuses on the Torre dos 24, the former seat of Porto's first city council and the birthplace of the city.

At 3 p.m. (Rua dos Flores) and 5 p.m. (Estação de São Bento) on Sunday, the animation 'Fuga à Peste' will be exhibited, in which two idiots lost in time and space walk from village to village carrying their house on their backs. A roving theatre show.

Also on the same day, at 4:30 p.m. the collective A PiSCiNA presents the performance 'A Voz da Ribeira' (The Voice of Ribeira) at the top of the wooden staircase at Cais da Ribeira. Set against the backdrop of the Luís I Bridge, this will be a presentation with various characters presenting testimonies of the time and memories of the Ribeira.

At the same time (4:30 p.m.), a concert by Coral Polifónico da Cruz, a group from Santa Maria da Feira that emerged from the merger of three liturgical groups from the Passionist Seminary, will be a highlight. The performance will take place in the courtyard of Casa do Infante.

All these initiatives have free access, subject to the capacity of some of the indoor performances.

See the full programme of the National Day of Historic Centres attached.